Pieces of Us
by MissMandS
Summary: All she knows are bruises, blood, loss and nightmares. All he knows is laughter, love and joy. Modern day. Bofur/OC
1. Prologue

"Aren't you a little bit old for toys lass?" He asks, his voice good natured. She doesn't turn away from the dolls, her fingers grazing over them as though she's touching silk scarves.

"You're never too old for childhood." She whispers, turning slowly and he can't help but wince as he stares at her swollen, bruised face.


	2. Screaming

Hello everyone, sorry I haven't really updated anything lately. But I have a reason. I have been having some personal problems in my life including not getting medication; health getting worse. Also, I have a stalker. I will gladly message anyone and talk to them if they want to know what's going on. But anyways, thank you so much to MidlightDream and Snowbirdrose for the favorites and follow! It's greatly appreciated! Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Charlie and her little family.

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><p>I always wake up to screaming; whether it's me, my grandma or my niece and nephew—there's always screaming. This morning it's me, scratching the air as I flail in my sleep and screech: 'get off me' over and over. Hovering over me is my grandma Julie, struggling to grab a hold of me without getting scratched.<p>

"Charlie, Charlie," She whispers, gripping my wrists tightly as I sit up gasping for breath. "You're okay." My grandma promises me, her eyes wide. I gasp softly, looking around my small, cramped room the ghosts that were haunting me mere seconds ago. But a quick survey of the room tells me I'm safe. I sigh as she lets go of my wrists, watching as I swing my legs over the side of the bed.

"I have to go to school today, don't I?" I ask, already moving towards my closet. Grandma's silent and I feel her eyes burning a hole into my back as I dig out clothes. "If you need me to watch the kids, I can," I ramble on, stopping as her hand clamps down gently on my shoulder.

"What happened?" Her voice is a gentle whisper. Without meaning to, I lift my hand and wince as my fingers brush over the swollen violet bruise on my left eye. "Did you go looking for your mom last night?" I hear the panic in her voice as it rises. "Did you?" She repeats.

"I just wanted to make sure was she was safe." I mumble, ducking past her and into the hallway bathroom. Moving down the hallway, I step over scattered toys; laundry and DVD's cluttering our double wide trailer. I close the door in grandma's face, pausing as I hear her sigh through the door.

"Charlie, honey," She starts; I turn the sink on, tuning her out. I run a brush through my shoulder length red hair; twisting it back into a bun, the black eye highlighting my pale skin. I grunt, tugging a hoodie over my head as I step out of the bathroom, moving past grandma. "That's all I'm saying." She finishes. I look back at her, nodding and acting like I've heard all of it even though I see in her eyes; she knows I ignored it. My sister, Lisa lies asleep on the couch, her light blonde hair hanging like a protective curtain. I pause, staring at her and then at grandma who stands at the counter with both my niece and nephew clutching her legs.

"Grandma," I start, moving towards her. She holds a hand up, shaking her head firmly. "I can stay home and take care of them. At least let me help you."

"When I took the four of you," She starts, her tone still firm. I'm the one to cut her this time, my tone sharp as I glare at her.

"Three of us, grandma," I remind her, glaring. "Joey brought us, saw his opportunity and took it." I hiss, grabbing my backpack and moving towards the door. I ignore her calling after me, asking if I want breakfast; the door slamming soundly behind me. I clench my teeth as I walk; my heart thundering in my chest as I wait for the school bus to pull up.

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><p>I step into my first class, English with my head down; staring at my shoes as I shuffle forward slowly.<p>

"Class doesn't start for a few minutes," A voice says softly. "But if you give me your name I can tell you where you," It stops as I lift my head. An older man stands in front of me, his snow white hair combed neatly; his beard though long is tidy, forking down the middle. Warm brown eyes look at me first with shock, nostalgia and then pity.

"Hello, Mr. Fundin," I whisper, smiling weakly at him. "Where do I sit?" He points towards the back, nodding slowly.

"How is your sister doing, Charlie?" His voice has returned to its soft, gentle tone. But the pity is not easy to hide. "I miss seeing her in class."

"Lisa is doing well." I sink into the seat, staring down at the patterns, nicknames and curse words etched into by others over the years. There's a long beat of silence as he moves across the room, stopping in front of me.

"And is that the truth?" I smirk, shaking my head.

"Of course it's not," I smile mirthlessly. "Lisa has a two year old and a seven month old. She works all night; sleeps nearly all day. And when she is awake—" She's smoking, slumped over, short tempered.

"And your mother—what about her?" He prods gently, staring at me. I look up at him, blinking slowly.

"I checked on her last night," His eyes widen slightly but he doesn't speak, nodding slightly as he moves back towards the front. "I bought her a drink and some food—took it to the place she's at and," I pause, remembering he's a teacher. "One of her housemates and I got into a fight when they tried stealing the food." I whisper as the bell rings.

"Do you need to see the school nurse?" He asks. I shake my head quickly, scooting my chair in as close as it can go. I wait for him to continue but he doesn't as others file into the room; some talking loudly, others with ear buds jammed into their ears; some silently brooding. Mr. Fundin stands at the front of the room, his arms crossed over his chest with a small smile on his lips. He grabs one student by the shoulder as they pass him, whispering and nodding at me, his smile widening beneath his beard. I grit my teeth, my throat going dry as the student approaches me; a broad grin on his face. He's tall, his long black hair wiry. He's not burly but definitely not wimpy—lean. But none of this matters. It's the face: the broad grin on his face as he stops by me; his dark brown eyes twinkling as he bows low.

"Kili Durin," He says as he bows, the grin still in place as he straightens up. "At your service." I stare at him, wondering if he expects me to bow back or curtsy. I nod slowly, smiling weakly at him.

"Charlie," I manage as he sits next to me. "At your service, Kili." I swallow hard, looking towards the front. Kili plops down in the seat next to me, humming happily as he swings his legs back and forth. He turns towards me; his jaw dropping as his mouth gapes open and closed like a fish out of water. "I—I know," I whisper, looking him in the eye. "I got into a fight last night."

"You—you got into a fight?" Kili's voice is shocked, his mouth still gaping open. "But—but."

"Yeah, Kili, I really don't want to talk to you about this," I snap. "I went somewhere I shouldn't, saw someone I shouldn't have. I paid the price. Is there anything else you want to know?" I whisper furiously, tears pricking my eyes. Kili stares at me, silently with his lips pursed, a somber look on his face.

"Would you like to sit with me at lunch?" He asks earnestly, the smile returning. I stare at him, incredulously.

"I can't afford the food here," I mumble, wiping my now sweating palms on my jeans. "And I didn't remember to bring my lunch." Kili's smile doesn't fade as he watches me; the twinkle still in his eyes.

"I'll pay for you, please just sit with me," His tone is so warm, so sincere and the look of pleading in his eyes is impossible to ignore leaving me no choice but to nod. "If I may ask, who did you go see last night? You have a secret boyfriend?"

"My mother."

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><p>Charlie's eighteen by the way guys. And I love Bofur. He is just so cute and funny and the world needs more Bofur which is why I chose to start writing this one. There's just not enough Bofur stories.<p> 


	3. Almost Healed

Thank you so much to Ava Nova for the for the follow! And PointDextra for the review: I really appreciate your constructive criticism hope you enjoy the story! Sorry it took so long to update. I had to take care of things for school; health problems and other stuff.

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><p>Kili stares at me with an expression of shock and discomfort. I wish immediately I could take the words back as Kili's silent. I fold my hands in my lap, staring at the board and silently cursing myself for saying anything.<p>

"You don't talk a lot do you, Charlie?" Kili asks, his voice quiet. I snort, looking down at the desk.

"That's an understatement," I mutter, picking at my nails. "My sister Lisa is the loud, brash and outspoken one so I have to be the quiet one."

"Sounds like my older brother, Fili," Kili says; his cheerful tone back. "My mom says I'm the loud one so that's why Fili's quieter."

"Fili Durin?" I ask, struggling to contain my laughter as Kili nods. "When my sister was a junior, she was suspended for punching him in the face." Kili snorts, clapping a hand over his mouth as he buries his face into his arm; laughing. Mr. Fundin looks over his shoulder at us, raising a white eyebrow. I stare ahead at the board, ignoring Kili as he struggles to compose himself. Mr. Fundin nods, turning back to the board with a simple headshake.

"Where is your sister now?" Kili asks. I dig my nails into my palms at his question, forcing myself to calm down.

"Both of us live with our grandma. Lisa works at a café every other weekend and is a chef weeknights at a restaurant." I say, my voice dulling. "She has a two year old little girl, Fiona. And a seven month old baby, Jace." My chest aches and I find myself wanting to be home with them; tripping over their toys and getting annoyed.

"With your grandma," Kili begins and I realize all too late what I've just said. "How come you live with her?" I reach for my backpack, my hands shaky. No, no—no, I let my hand fall back into my lap.

"I don't like to talk about it." I mumble, resting my chin on my arms. Kili watches me for a couple seconds before nodding, turning away to face the board. I close my eyes, his question innocent enough is like ripping open an almost healed wound.

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><p><em>Mom laid on the couch, her long dark hair hung over her pale skin. Lisa sat on the arm of the couch, an expressionless look on her face. <em>

_ "Mom," I whispered, gently squeezing her arm. She groaned, barely acknowledging me as she rolled over. "Mom are we going or not?" I demanded as she swatted weakly at me. "Lisa needs the car for work." Mom gave a final groan as she sat up; rubbing a hand over her face and smearing her makeup. _

_ "All right," She whispered, grabbing a hold of Lisa's shoulder to lift herself up. "Let's go, let's go then." I leaned around Lisa and watched as she stumbled to the bathroom, mumbling to herself. _

_ "What are you thinking about?" I asked Lisa, resting my chin on her knee. Lisa stared down at me, dark bags beneath her eyes obvious even in the dark. _

_ "Would you really like to know what my thoughts are?" Lisa's voice had been void of any emotion as she raked fingers through her hair. I nodded against her knee. "I don't know what I'm thinking." She confessed, her fingers paused in her hair as the sounds of mom mumbling stopped. Both of us sat silent, anxiously awaiting her return. We heard her before we see her as she stumbled down the hall, sniffling and coughing. _

_ "Well are we going or not?" She demanded as she walks into the living room, her dark hair pulled back into sloppy bun; makeup still smeared. Lisa sighed, nudging me away from her as she stood up. _

_ "Where am I even taking you?" Lisa asked, her tone just as snippy as she and mom began their trek down the apartment stairs. I followed after them, my hands shoved deep into the pockets of my worn, dirty jeans. Mom refused to talk, digging through her purse for cigarettes as we walked towards the parking lot. She refused to offer any information until she was in the car; irritation rolled off Lisa in waves. I sat in the backseat and picked at my nails as mom sighed, finally looking at Lisa. _

_ "You know where the abandoned train tracks are?" Mom asked, taking a long drag off her cigarette. Lisa nodded, reaching for a cigarette of her own. "We need to go there." She mumbled as her head lolled back against the seat. Lisa started the car and began the drive as these usually went: no radio; no talking except for mom. We were expected to nod, smile and sometimes, maybe mumble a response. _

_ "You know I love you, baby?" Mom blurted suddenly on that night as she looked at me in the back seat. I stared at her silent, unsure of what to say as she stared at me with wide, pleading eyes. _

_ "Stop, mom," Lisa warned as she turned, her tone clipped. "Don't even start." _

_ "What? I do love you both!" She whined as she flailed her arms up and down. "I love both of you." _

_ "I love you too, mom." I whispered. She turned around again, a dreamy smile plastered on her face. _

_ "See, Lisa?" She slurred. "Charlie loves me, why don't you love me, too?" Lisa ignored her as she pulled onto a gravel road. A feeling of unease settled over me as the car bumped over the gravel; Lisa's hands tightly gripped the steering wheel. _

_ "Whoever you're meeting here," Lisa warned with a steely tone. "They'd better be ready." Mom waved a dismissive hand, reaching for the door handle. _

_ "He's ready baby doll," She promised. "Don't worry, he'll be ready. Pull up here and then stop." Lisa obeyed her and as mom got out of the car, I saw Lisa's hands and knuckles had turned white. _

_ "Lisa?" I whispered as I reached for her shoulder. She jerked away from me, shaking her head. "Mom's coming back." I breathed, my stomach twisted in knots as I saw the person who followed behind her; kicking gravel out of their way. Lisa rolled the window down and winced as the shouting came in through the open window. _

_ "You promised!" The male voice shouts. Mom glanced back at him, holding her arms out. _

_ "Nobody else would give me a ride," She whined. The man shoved her aside, stomping up to the window. Lisa lowered her head, an ashamed look coming her face. He glanced around Lisa; a gasp escaped his lips as he saw me. _

_ "I am done," He shouts at mom as he poked her in the chest. "I am done with you. You agreed to keep them out of it," The car door was opened, my older brother gesturing for me to come to him. "I'm taking you to grandmas." Joey said, holding his arms out to me. He didn't even look as he shoved mom away from him as she attempted to hug him._

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><p>"Charlie," A hand grabs a hold of my shoulder, shaking me gently. "Charlie," I jump, my fists clenched as Kili backs away from me, his hands raised. "Were you sleeping?"<p>

"Was I screaming?" I ask, fighting my blush. Kili stares at me for a second before smirking, shaking his head.

"No, just snoring and drooling." He promises, handing me my backpack. I nod, following him out of the classroom and into the crowded hallway.

"Am I too weird to eat lunch with you and your friends?" I ask. "Or is the offer still on the table?" Kili grins impishly at me as he slings his arm around my shoulder, forcing me to walk with him.

"You're stuck with me." He promises and I'm grateful that he misses my grimace when he squeezes my bruised shoulder.

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><p>Kili follows me throughout the day like a puppy; pouting and engulfing me in a hug each time he has to leave my side. Each time I come out of a class, he's waiting for me with an impish grin; talking animatedly as he walks me to the next class. By the time lunch rolls around, Kili's bouncing up and down, an eager grin on his face.<p>

"So what do you want to eat?" Kili asks, once again slinging his arm around my bruised shoulder. I pat his hand awkwardly, swallowing down my anxiety as we're swallowed up in a loud, talkative sea of people on their way to the cafeteria.

"You're paying for it," I mumble, clutching my backpack tightly. "I'll take whatever the cheapest things are," Kili either doesn't hear me or ignores me as he steers me into the cafeteria, grabbing two trays and loading both of them up with food. "Kili, how much do I owe you?" He waves a hand dismissively, handing me one of the trays with a warm grin.

"Nothing," Kili promises. "Really, it's my treat." I roll my eyes at his back as he tugs me along; not missing the nods people give Kili and the stares they give me. If Kili notices, he doesn't say anything, leading me to a table with a small, shy looking boy sitting alone. His hairs a reddish brown, choppy strands sticking out from beneath his hoodie. He wears fingerless gloves and a knitted sweater which he tugs on the end of the sleeves with one hand; his other hand sketching in a journal. Kili slams his tray down and swipes the boy's hood back in one smooth motion; grinning wider as the boy glares at him.

"Sit wherever you want Mary," Kili says, waving his hand around the table. "This is Ori. Ori, this is Mary." The boy, Ori looks up and gives me a shy smile which dissolves as his mouth gapes open and closed like a fish out of water.

"Ori was in my gym class." I offer, setting the tray down quietly. I duck my head as I sit, picking at the food. Kili glances back and forth between us, giving Ori a swift, hard kick under the table that stops his gaping. Ori flushes bright red, nodding furiously as he looks away.

"So you both have Dwalin then?" Kili asks, shooting Ori a quick glare. I nod, the tall, bald and tattooed gym teacher still fresh in my mind.

"He seemed—very dedicated to his job." I mutter, remembering the way he'd vividly described the sports we'd play; his bulging muscles rippling as he stood in front of my class, a grim look on his face. From beside me Kili bursts out laughing, snorting as he nods.

"Dedicated is one word to use," Kili chokes out through laughs. "He can go a little over the edge sometimes when he wants to." Ori chuckles quietly, his gaze still turned on his sketch book. I look down at my tray, trying to pick out some food that looks decent while wondering how Kili can scarf his down next to me.

"Would you like some of my food, Ori?" I ask, realizing that he's sitting there without any food in front of him. Ori shakes his head, smiling politely at the sketch book.

"No, thank you," He finally looks up from his sketch book and at me. "My brother, Dori always brings me something from work." I nod, unsure of what else to do or say; freezing as a hand gently taps my shoulder. I turn my head to see Mr. Fundin, a deep frown beneath his thick white beard.

"I need to talk to you, Charlie." He whispers, glancing briefly at Kili and Ori to smile. I nod weakly, following after him out into the hallway.

"Did I do something wrong?" I ask nervously as soon as we step into the hallway, my heart thumping loudly. He shakes his head with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"No, of course not. There's not much you can do wrong on the first day unless you're Kili Durin," He reassures me, shoulders sagging as he sighs. "Your mother came into the office during your last class, Charlie. She had some flowers to drop off for you. But the secretary told her that she was not to be here."

"Did you call my grandma?" I whisper, staring down at my tattered shoes. He shakes his head.

"No, we called your sister instead," I find myself wishing they'd called grandma instead as he says that. "She said you're to come home right now."

"Okay…" I whisper, tears pricking my eyes. "What will you tell the other teachers?" I play with the hem of my frayed, torn hoodie.

"I will tell them it was just a family emergency. Go home now, Charlie." He gives me a final pat on the shoulder, walking off down the hallway. I keep my head down as I go back into the cafeteria, the tears streaming down my cheeks. When I get back to our table, Kili and Ori both stare at me with wide eyes and worried looks on their faces.

"Is everything okay?" Ori asks as I reach for my backpack. I use the opportunity to wipe my face off, smiling weakly as I stand back up.

"Yeah, just have a little family emergency," I mumble, picking up my still full tray. "I have to go." I whisper; turning away from them without so much as a goodbye.

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><p>The italicized part was Charlie's memory with her mom. I've got three addicts in my family and lived with one of them so some of these memories will be based off my personal experiences. Next chapter, Bofur comes in!<p> 


	4. Dragons

So my grandfather's funeral was yesterday and I got back home late today. This week has been so stressful and such a shitty week. I wanted to say thank you to everyone for the favorites and follows. Thank you to BeanieBaby96; BloodBlackAlchemist, fairyprincess91, Vegas3 and Salimiome for the favorites and follows. I'm really sorry for the shortness of this chapter. But I'm trying to get back into my routine and overcome all the stress that's happened this past week. It's been hell. I'll update as soon as possible with a longer chapter.

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><p>Lisa's waiting for me when I get home, sitting on the couch with a look that's a mix between anxiety and fury. Fiona sits at her feet, pouting as her white blonde hair is tugged back into pigtails. Jace crawls around the floor, babbling as he chases after a toy.<p>

"Where's grandma?" I ask, flopping down on the couch next to Lisa. She barely glances at me as she tugs Fiona's hair through a hair tie.

"She went to go run some errands about half an hour ago," Lisa mumbles, standing up and grabbing her purse. "She said she'll be done about seven thirty tonight."

"Are you going to work?" I ask, suddenly overwhelmed with a wave of anxiety as I see her grabbing her things.

"You're coming with me," Lisa reassures me. "That way if mom comes by, we won't be here. And grandma will just pick you guys up later." She hands me Jace; the furious look on her face melting away to pure anxiety.

"Will your boss be okay with us hanging out there?" I ask. Lisa shrugs nonchalantly; her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"I don't know," Lisa confesses, glancing in the back seat. "When we get there, I'll go in and talk to Bombur. I'll explain the situation to him and what's going on."

"So….We should just wait in here?" I ask.

"There's a toy store a few blocks down from Bombur's," Lisa continues; her tone growing helpless as she continues driving. "Go ahead and go in there while I explain things. Take my phone in case you need to call grandma." The anxious expressions don't leave our faces and we drive in uncomfortable silence for the rest of the time.

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><p>Bofur hears the bell above the door chime when he's in the back room; looking for more dragon toys. Besides him, stands his cousin Bifur who digs through boxes of toys, cussing quietly. Bifur gives him a pleading look, jerking his head towards the front of the store.<p>

"Aye, I'll go take care of it," Bofur promises, moving from the back room. His cousin gives him a thankful clap on the back as he exits. "Welcome to Bifur and Bofur's, how can I help….You?" Bofur trails off, looking down the front of the counter. A little girl stands in front of him; a grave look on her face as she stares up at him. She's tiny with large stormy blue eyes that observe him earnestly; wavy white blonde hair tugged back into pig tails that touch her waist. The grave look on her face only grows darker as she nods, her eyes focused on his hand.

"Dragons," The little girl whispers, her voice full of wonder. Bofur smiles down at the little girl; her gaze fixed on his hand still holding a dragon. He knows better than to ask her if she wants a doll instead; if she wants a girl's toy. Instead his smile just widens as he hands the toy over to the child; her eyes widening. "It's a dragon!" Her grin nearly splits her face apart. Bofur nods, his jovial smile still in place as the little girl runs away from the counter; sitting next to a baby and talking. Bofur frowns, stepping around the counter.

"Lassie, where's your mother?" Bofur asks softly, kneeling down to the little girl's level. She doesn't glance at him, focused on the baby and dragon.

"Mommy's at work." She answers easily, her tone light and easy.

"Who brought you here then?" Bofur stands up, looking for any other adults, any other children in the shop.

"Oh, my mommy brought us," The little girl shrugs. "Char-Char is here." She lifts her hand, pointing towards the dolls. Bofur gives the girls head a little pat, moving towards the one known as Char-Char. They stand before the dolls with their back to him. Even as his footsteps clomp across the wood floor, they make no move to turn around. Silently, they lift a hand, gently tracing the cheek of one of the dolls. A quiet, almost inaudible gasp fills the otherwise silent air as the pale hand comes in contact with the doll.

"Aren't you a little bit old for toys lass?" He asks, his voice good natured. She doesn't turn away from the dolls, her fingers grazing over them as though she's touching silk scarves.

"You're never too old for childhood." She whispers, turning slowly and he can't help but wince as he stares at her swollen, bruised face.


	5. No Trouble

Lisa would have been lying if she said she didn't like Bombur. The plump, cheerful man was almost always smiling or offering her a smile when she walked through the door. He wore his heart on his sleeve and fretted over each and every little thing. But she found it rather endearing than annoying. But the pitying looks were something she despised. They came every time she asked for overtime. Every time she called her grandma or Charlie to put the kids to bed; she would catch sight of Bombur starting at her with pity. And whenever she tried to leave, he would slip her some leftover food, never quite meeting her eye. But now, it was her who couldn't meet his eye.

"I understand if they can't come in," Lisa mumbles, staring down at her work shoes. "But we had a—emergency come up today. And unfortunately my grandma isn't home and Charlie can't be home alone with them due to the circumstances."

"What sort of emergency, Lisa?" Bombur's voice is gentle as he leans forward, pressing his hands against the back of a chair.

"Our mom tried coming to the school to give her some flowers or something. The secretary didn't allow her to. They called me and I had her come immediately."

"Is there a restraining order in place?" Bombur's voice becomes softer. Lisa hesitates, biting her lower lip.

"Not exactly," She shrugs. "Our grandma proved to the courts that our mother was unfit to take care of us; so she had been rewarded custody. And our mother was allowed supervised visits. But a lot of times, she never showed up to the visits. Besides, Charlie's eighteen, she's legally an adult. But as long as she's at school, the school rules are still in place." Bombur doesn't speak; his hazel eyes void of their usual twinkle.

"They can stay as long as they'd like to." Bombur says, giving her a small smile. Lisa sighs, her body flooding with relief as she nods thankfully.

"I—I'll need to go and get them." She gestures towards the door. Bombur chuckles good naturedly, waving. Lisa gives him a final smile as she leaves the restaurant; walking towards the toy store where she dropped off her sister and kids. Her children were the products of drunken nights. But of course, she would never tell them that. There were times, whenever she would get home late and Fiona would still be awake. And whenever she heard the squeak of the trailer door, she would sit up with a hopeful look as her small voice echoed: 'daddy?' as she looked towards the door. Even when she still saw it was only Lisa, she still ran forward; arms extended as she wrapped her arms around her legs. Jace was far too young to know about any father. Occasionally he would say 'dada' but it was just random baby babble. It did nothing to lessen the guilt though. She even felt particularly guilty about dropping them off at a toy store. New toys were a rarity in their house. All the toys they had were old, hand-me-downs. They couldn't afford new toys.

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><p>Lisa swallows hard as she steps through the door, her eyes sweeping the walls. It wasn't a typical toy store. Wooden toys lined shelves: dragons, bears, cats, dogs and other animals all carved with intricate details. Dolls line the other shelves; wearing handmade dresses and clothes, nothing like the ones in other stores she'd seen.<p>

"Mommy," Fiona shrieks, wrapping herself around Lisa's legs. Lisa jumps, brushing a hand over Fiona's blonde pigtails. "Look." She demands, holding up a carved dragon, painted dark blue, its tail curved menacingly.

"I see it, honey," Lisa mutters absentmindedly, bending to scoop up Jace who crawls towards them. "Where's your aunt Charlie?" Fiona points towards the dolls, still holding up her dragon and babbling. Lisa follows Fiona's pointing finger, a frown etching her features. Her blood begins to boil, her temper flaring. A man stands staring at Charlie; his mouth gaping open and closed like a fish's as he stares at Charlie's bruised and swollen face. Her sister had been pretty a long time ago—her hair a thick, rich auburn red that she spent hours caring for. Her pale skin once freckled across her cheeks was now bruised, blackened. Charlie's face looked painfully thin, gaunt; her collarbone and cheekbones standing out. And this man stood here, gaping at her like some sideshow. Lisa isn't even aware that she's glaring at the man's back until Charlie's gaze meets hers; a slight hint of disappointment showing.

"Oh, is it time to go?" Charlie asks; her voice disappointed as well. The man turns sharply, staring at Lisa with startled eyes for a brief moment. He offers Jace a wide, dimpled smile; undeterred by Lisa's stare.

"Yes, I talked to Bombur and he said you could stay." Lisa doesn't miss the way the man's eyes brighten. Charlie nods, giving the man a final, sad smile as she moves past him; her head down.

"Bombur, you know Bombur?" The man interrupts; still smiling widely at Jace. Lisa nods stiffly, tightening her hold on him.

"I work at his restaurant." Lisa says coldly.

"Oh, well allow me to introduce myself," The man continues in a jovial, accented tone. "I'm his brother, Bofur."

"Lisa—nice to meet you," Lisa manages a small smile; turning away from him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work."

"I'm actually about to head there myself. Time to close up shop and have dinner, you know? Why don't Bifur and I walk you there?"

"I don't want to be any trouble." Lisa grumbles; not missing the way Charlie snickers into her hand.

"Oh, no trouble at all," The man promises. "No trouble at all."

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><p>I'm so sorry about the long delay in updating. I got major writers block. So to pick things up in the story for the next chapter, this story is from Lisa's point of view. The next chapter will be from Charlie's. I started school on Monday so updates will be a little bit erratic, guys. Thank you so much to gardeniax for the favorite and follow!<p> 


	6. Guilt

Fiona clings to my hand as we walk, talking animatedly about the dragon from the toy shop. Beside me Lisa walks with quick, determined strides towards Bombur's. And behind comes the soft footsteps of the two men from the toy shop. Fiona pauses when she realizes I'm not fully listening; tugging hard on my hand.

"Yes?" I inquire. Fiona holds the dragon up, her eyes bright with excitement. "It's a wonderful toy—did you tell the man thank you?" Fiona's face morphs into a look of horror as she stops sharply, turning to look at the men behind us. Truth be told, I felt more than a little embarrassed to face them. One of the men had caught me staring at the dolls; playing with the fabric of their dresses and tracing the contours of their perfect faces. He was a strange looking man; tall and broad shouldered with a thick, dark hair hanging down his back in a braid. Two other braids stick out from beneath a large hat with turned up flaps on the end. Dark hazel eyes watch Fiona with a small sparkle to them as she talks. The other man is almost wild looking with salt and pepper hair cropped short, a thick beard hanging down his front. A pale scar mars his forehead. But his dark eyes are gentle as they stare down at my niece.

"Thank you for the toy." Fiona whispers, clutching my hand tightly. The hatted man smiles widely at her; showing off dimples.

"It's my pleasure lass," His voice is thick with a warm Irish brogue. "What's your name if I may ask, little miss?"

"Fiona," I swallow hard as the men look up at me, their gazes curious. "Her names Fiona and the baby is Jace."

"Ah, Fiona," The hatted man pauses to wink at me. "What a perfect name for a lovely young princess." Fiona's cheeks turn red as she ducks behind my legs, smiling at him from behind the dragon. I play with one of her pigtails, glancing over my shoulder at Lisa. She watches us with a guarded expression, her arms tight around Jace. Irritation flashes in her eyes as she motions for us to hurry up.

"And what is your name? Fiona called you Char-Char if I remember correctly." The hatted man asks, settling by my side as we walk. I groan at the nickname, glancing down at Fiona who gives me a gap toothed smile.

"My name's Charlie," I correct. "She just calls me Char-Char." The man nods; making the ends of his hat bob up and down.

"Bofur at your service," He gestures towards the salt and pepper haired man walking behind us. "And that's my cousin Bifur." Lisa turns her head, glaring at Bofur before her gaze turns towards me.

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><p>"Charlie, go sit down at a table with the kids," I look up with a start to realize we're standing in front of the restaurant. "Someone will bring you menus." Lisa's tone is curt as she hands me Jace; ushering us inside. I swallow hard as we step inside; my grip on Fiona's hand tightening. Sitting at a center table is Kili with three other people. Lisa stiffens in front of me; her shoulders going rigid as she follows my gaze.<p>

"Is that him?" I whisper, staring at the shaggy blonde haired man sitting by Kili. His skins a warm, tawny color and I'm reminded of a lion as I stare at him. His stormy blue eyes are sparkling with warmth until he catches sight of Lisa. All the warmth leaves his gaze and his lips turn down in a deep frown.

"That's Fili Durin all right." Lisa says stiffly, handing me Jace. She walks past the table with her back and shoulders rigid. Kili's eyebrows furrow as he looks at his brother. When he catches sight of me, a smile nearly splits his face apart as he jumps up.

"Charlie!" Kili calls excitedly. I flush red as the others at his table turn to look at me with curious gazes. "I didn't know your sister worked here." He stands to move towards me, the excited, eager look still clear on his face. My throat tightens as his brother grabs his arm; his eyes dark. Kili shrugs him off; practically sprinting towards me.

"Yeah, Lisa works here." I mumble as he stops in front of me; practically vibrating with excitement.

"Ori should be here soon if you want to come and sit with us." Kili offers warmly, gesturing towards his table. I swallow hard, panic seizing my dress at his words.

"Ori will be here too?" I demand; my chest tightening. "Who else will be coming?"

"Of course," Kili's eyebrows furrow. "His brother Dori will be coming—don't know about Nori. And then Balin and Dwalin most likely," Kili nods decisively. "Yeah, they should be here. I don't know about the others though."

"Do you all come here to eat?" Kili nods, grinning at me.

"We always have a family dinner once a week," I catch sight of Bofur and Bifur sitting down at Kili's table, talking animatedly to the others sitting there. "Now come on and meet everyone." I follow after him weakly; my stomach twisting in knots the closer we get. The talking quiets at the table as everyone turns to look at me. Fili stares at me with a calculating, scrutinizing gaze. Bifur and Bofur offer me gentle smiles. The dark haired man stares at me with a look that's half curious; half annoyed. The only woman at the table looks at me with interest and a small spark of recognition in her eyes.

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><p>"Good to see you again Charlie." Bofur says smoothly, winking at me. The woman's eyes brighten as she looks back and forth between Kili and I.<p>

"Ah, so this is the Charlie you went on and on about this afternoon?" The woman asks, her shoulders shaking with mirth as Kili flushes. Her long dark hair is swept back into a braid; resting over her shoulder. Dark blue eyes rest above high cheekbones and a strong nose. For a moment, I swear that her eyes are twinkling. The man beside her is muscular; his eyes as dark as the woman's. His long hair is sleek as a raven's wing with silver streaks running through it. His beard is well trimmed. Were it not for the scowl on his face; I would think he was Kili's brother rather than Fili.

"Yes, this is that Charlie," Kili grumbles from beside me, pouting like a child. "Charlie this is my mother, Dís; my uncle Thorin and my brother, Fili." I turn towards Fili, just to see his gaze level with mine.

"We know each other," Fili's gaze zeroes in on Jace; babbling in my arms. "Or rather I knew your sister."

"I remember," I mumble, tightening my hold on Jace. "My sister was suspended her junior year for punching you in the face." Everyone but Fili bursts out laughing at my words. Fili's jaw clenches, a tight smile on his face.

"Ah, yes," I jump as I look over my shoulder to see Mr. Fundin coming up to the table. "I remember that quite well. I had to pull Lisa off you," He chuckles good naturedly; glancing briefly at Fiona and Jace. "Now I don't believe I've had pleasure of meeting these little ones before." I stiffen as I catch sight of Lisa coming from the back room; her face shadowed.

"No, Mr. Fundin," Lisa's voice is calm through strained. "You have not. This is my daughter, Fiona and my son, Jace. Charlie go sit down over there—it's rude to impose on our guests." Dís lifts a hand, shaking her head.

"It's not imposing," Dís either doesn't notice or chooses ignore the cold waves rolling off Lisa as she speaks. "It would be a pleasure to have Charlie sit and have dinner with us." Lisa nods stiffly, squeezing my shoulder as she leaves me alone with the group of strangers. Kili practically shoves me into a chair beside him; cooing and making faces at Jace. Fiona sits beside me on her knees, running her dragon up and down my arm.

"How old are they?" Kili asks me, stroking a finger over Jace's smooth cheek.

"Fiona's two and Jace is seventh months old," Kili barely nods, his gaze focused on Jace. "Do you want to hold him?" Kili visibly gulps as everyone begins laughing quietly. He takes Jace carefully as though he's a China doll. Jace stares at Kili with a scrutinizing gaze as he grabs fistfuls of his dark hair. I look up to see Bofur staring at me with a strange look on his face; his hazel eyes dark. When he catches my eye, he flushes, clearing his throat as he looks away from me. I realize the emotion in his eyes then. Clear as day, guilt shines brightly in his eyes as he looks anywhere but me.

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><p>Thank you so much to EquusGold; The Righter's Name and Minajames for the follows and favorite! I've had such a shitty, fucked up week guys : I appreciate all of you that take the time to read my stories. It's greatly appreciated. I own nothing but Charlie and her family.


	7. Dinner With the Family

Thank you so much to CrazyFanGirl18; Lumet; jjchicky; LadyLucy1990; piatek; KitsuneReid and jazica for the favorties and follows! They're greatly appreciated. This chapter was surprisingly simply to write. I'm getting more excited for this story...Finally.

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><p>I was used to loud, sometimes chaotic dinners. Those were normal at my house with grandma and I trying to wrangle Fiona into behaving and Jace more often than not having a tantrum at being confined to a high chair. On the weekends whenever Lisa was home, the dinners often ended with arguing. But this was something entirely new. This was the definition of chaos. Food flew across the table; people yelled to be heard over the other one; reached across each other, nearly knocking drinks over. But it seemed each time they a drink was about to fall; a utensil ready to clatter to the floor; a hand would appear from nowhere, catching it silently and placing it back in its proper place. From his spot on Kili's lap, Jace gurgles happily, alternating between chewing on his fingers and accepting whatever little bites of food Dís offers him. As usual, Fiona gets more pieces of food on the floor than in her mouth. But she doesn't notice, all too happy to be a part of this chaos. She joins in, flinging bits of food at the others even when I throw scolding looks that she ignores. My own food sits untouched in front of me. Mr. Fundin narrows his eyes at me, raising an eyebrow.<p>

"Charlie," His tone is warm, fatherly and I refuse to meet his eye. "I know you didn't get a chance to eat any of your lunch today. Now won't do to have you not eating." Ori's head snaps towards me, his eyes wide.

"Charlie," Ori repeats my name confused. "Charlie," His cheeks turn bright red as he turns to glare at Kili. "Kili, you introduced her as Mary!" Kili pauses in his eating, his own cheeks flushing as he looks at me.

"I'm sorry," Kili mumbles, looking at me with the expression of a puppy that's just been kicked. "I don't know why I called you the wrong name." I wave a hand dismissively, shrugging. Fili lifts his head, pausing in his chewing. His eyebrows furrow as he lowers the fork, staring at me with a pensive stare.

"I think—I mean, I think that I've heard Lisa say your mother's name was Mary." Fili muses. As if on cue, Lisa steps out of the kitchen, wiping off her forehead.

"You're right," Lisa says, wordlessly taking Jace from Kili's lap. "It is her name—I used to talk about her a lot in high school," Her eyes flicker over Kili, a strange almost warm look in them as she gives him a tentative smile. "Thanks for watching him."

"Break, mommy?" Fiona asks through a mouthful of mac and cheese. Lisa gives her a genuine smile this time; nodding.

"Yes, honey, I'm on my break," Lisa looks at me. "Grandma's about ten minutes away or so; I'll go and get you guys some boxes."

"You won't be staying for dessert?" Kili asks dejectedly, his shoulders sagging. "Bombur made molten lava cake for tonight." I don't even look at Lisa as I shake my head.

"I have to get home," I mumble, scraping my chair back. "Do homework, help my grandma." I shrug, giving him a tiny smile. "I'll see you tomorrow though." I promise, taking Jace from Lisa. Fiona scrambles down from her chair; grabbing my hand with her sticky one.

"Bye!" Fiona calls over her shoulder, bouncing up and down beside me. "Thank you again Mister Bofur!" I give one final look back at Bofur who still refuses to meet my eye; picking at his food before him. I sigh, stepping outside in the dark, cool air to wait for grandma. Fiona stands beside me, her dragon still in hand as she babbles on about nonsense. Jace settles heavily against my shoulder, lying still even as Lisa comes out with an armful of boxes.

"You know what to do when you get home?" She asks, looking up and down the street. I nod numbly, trying hard not to jostle Jace.

"Bathe them, movie if they're up to it and then bed." Lisa nods; tapping her fingers again the Styrofoam boxes as she refuses to look at me.

"It's only the first day," She muses, humming. "You don't have any homework, now do you, Charlie?" She asks as grandma's car pulls up.

"I don't have time for friends, Lisa," I whisper as we move towards the car. "Bofur wouldn't even look me in the eye."

"Can't say I blame him after the way he stared." She grumbles, taking Jace from me to strap him in his car seat.

"I'm sorry about this girls," Grandma says softly from the front seat. "I didn't expect your mother to do that. And I had errands to run that needed to get done."

"It's okay," I promise her, settling in the front seat as Lisa settles the kids in the back. "It's probably my fault for going and seeing her last night."

"I'll be working after close tonight," Lisa warns, closing the back door. "Don't wait up for me, guys." Handing me the boxes, she turns and walks back into the restaurant. Grandma waits until she's back inside before pulling away, her face exhausted.

"Where'd you get that toy, Fiona?" Grandma asks, her eyes in the rear view mirror. Fiona holds it up with bright eyes.

"Mister Bofur!" Fiona squeals, clutching it to her chest. Grandma glances at me from the corner of her eye, suspicion clear.

"Lisa dropped us off at the toy shop a few shops down from Bombur's. One of the owners there gave her the little toy—turns out he's Bombur's older brother."

"Were you sure to tell him thank you?" Grandma asks, eyebrows raised. Fiona nods vigorously. Grandma smiles satisfied and we drive in silence for a few minutes; both Jace and Fiona nodding off.

"Have you given any thought to maybe letting mom come and visit us at the trailer?" I ask tentatively, popping my knuckles with each word.

"It's too soon, Charlie," Grandma whispers, her eyes on the road. "She hasn't made progress—if anything she's backtracking."

"Maybe if we let her come see us then she might be a little more willing to make some progress." I whisper, staring down at my hands.

"You cannot keep seeking her out or bringing her food and gifts," Grandma warns me, her grip on the steering wheel tightening. "If she makes progress then she and I can discuss things."

"Have you given any thought then to letting Joey come see us at the trailer?" Grandma's grip slackens as she sighs.

"When your brother came to me and dropped you and Lisa off, he gave me some money and told me that he had had enough of your mother. I offered him a place to stay but he felt it better to be left alone and left with no new address or anything.

"But you guys are still in contact, aren't you?" I ask.

"We are but it's not as much as I would like," Grandma says as we pull into the trailer park. "Joey will call me on occasion but it's always collect. And he sends me money on occasion but it's never with a return address," As she puts the car in park, she gives another deep sigh, turning to look at me. "When your brother is ready, he will call us and ask me when he can come to see us all. Or he'll simply show up."

"Okay." I whisper, squeezing her hand in mine. She gives me a warm albeit tired smile as she steps out of the car. I follow suit, my shoulders sagging.

The trailer is quiet that night. Jace and Fiona lay in their shared bedroom; their night light illuminating the room. Grandma lies in her room, not asleep though. Her TV plays quietly and even from the kitchen, I can hear her tossing and turning. I sit in the kitchen; the Styrofoam boxes stacked in the fridge. The table and counters are wiped down; the dishes done. The living room floor is clean; toys picked up and put away; videos stacked. In the morning, they'll be spread out everywhere once again. But for now it's spotless; even the laundry is folded and stacked, all waiting to be put up. A pillow and blanket rest on the sofa, waiting for Lisa to come home and collapse from work. And as I lay in bed; the blankets drawn up to my chin, my thoughts are plagued by the toy dragons and china dolls.

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><p>Next chapter will have some BofurCharlie! Until next time dear readers!


	8. Just Charlie

Yeah...Sorry about the wait in updates. I put this one on the back burner so I could take care of my other stories but as promised you get some Charlie/Bofur interaction. Thank you so much to Tala-Lady-Of-Wolves; Raised To Be A Fighter, amphetamineR and jennlit, for the follows and favorites!

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><p>I don't go to school the next day. I wake up early in the morning before my alarm to a cool, wet rag being wiped across my forehead. Through the closed door, the sounds of the morning sneak in: grandma cooking; the TV playing and Jace babbling. Lisa sits above me, wiping off my forehead.<p>

"You screamed most of the night," She confesses, stepping away from me. I sit up slowly, reluctantly as my body aches in protest. "I got home about two and took over for grandma." I glance at the clock and see it's only six a.m. now. The dark bags beneath Lisa's eyes are obvious even in the dark as she hands me a cup of water.

"Can I ask you something?" Lisa hums noncommittally as she turns to face me, arms crossed over her chest. "Last night Fili said he remembered you saying our mother's name."

"We were friends in high school for a while," Lisa confesses, her tone guarded. "But things happen you know and people change so—not anymore." She makes her escape before I can ask anything else, scrambling over dirty clothes and discarded papers, slamming my door behind her. From down the hallway comes grandma's hushed voice followed by Lisa's louder, harsher tone and then the slamming of the front screen door as she steps outside. All chances of sleeping gone, I go down the hallway and into the kitchen where grandma stands cooking.

"I want you to go out today," Grandma says without looking up from her work. "Won't hurt you to miss a day—it's only the second of school after all. I think it might help with the nightmares." She's worried, a wrinkle forming in the crease of her eyebrows as she cooks.

"Where can I go?" I ask.

"Wherever you'd like." Grandma promises, handing me a plate filled with bacon and eggs.

"The toy store, down from Lisa's work," I mutter, avoiding her eyes as I speak. "Could you take me there?" Grandma nods and that's that. I turn and go the living room, plate clutched in my shaking hands.

It takes a while for us to leave. To feed the kids, clean them up, dress them and then get ready ourselves. The car ride feels longer than it should, my legs shifting restlessly as grandma stops in front of the store. She turns to me, eyes narrowed as I reach for the handle.

"If you need anything go down to Bombur's and call Lisa or me," Grandma demands. "She'll take you home tonight on her break." I lean over and press a quick kiss to her cheek as I get out of the car, promising to call. I stand and wave goodbye as she drives away, my heartbeat slowly picking up speed as they disappear from view. I turn around and face the toy store, alone. It seems even more daunting than last night, a castle looming over me as I step hesitantly inside. Like last night, the shop is empty of people. The counters empty, no children wander up and down the aisles.

"I'm sorry but we won't be open for another thirty minutes," An accented voice calls, stopping short as I turn around. "Oh, it's you Ms. Charlie," The man with the floppy eared hat, Bofur stares at me with a wide smile. "No little niece or nephew today?"

"Not today," I shake my head. "They're at home."

"How does little miss Fiona like the dragon?" Bofur's smile doesn't fade as he continues to stare at me.

"She loves it—didn't let go of it the entire night." Bofur's eyebrows furrow as he looks past me. I follow his gaze towards a clock on the wall, flashing nine thirty.

"Excuse me for asking you Ms. Charlie," Bofur clears his throat. "But shouldn't you be in school right about now?" I sigh and rub at my arms, suddenly cold despite my thick hoodie.

"It's complicated." I confess. Bofur nods and gestures towards the dolls where boxes sit stacked up.

"I see. Well I'm a good listener and could use some help," I follow after him, kneeling besides the boxes. I wordlessly hand Bofur dolls, watching as puts them in their appropriate places. "Whenever you're ready to talk." Bofur encourages lightly. I stare at the doll in my hands, running my fingers carefully over her painted on smile.

"My parents had—have a lot of problems," I mutter, handing over the doll. "When I was a kid, my dad was sick a lot and my mom took care of him and us. There are three of us kids: me, Lisa and our brother Joey."

"So she was under a lot of stress then I take it, aye?" Bofur mutters and I nod my agreement.

"When I was fourth grade, they diagnosed my dad with terminal cancer. My grandma—our dads, mom started to help care of us while my mom worked. And then we started noticing changes in my mom. She wouldn't come until it was really late, forget to give my dad his medicine," Bofur's silent, my hands still as they rest on the edge of the box. "She became more and more detached until he died. My mom was sober when he died, her last night sober." Bofur reaches over and gives my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Death's a difficult thing to deal with," Bofur murmurs. "Mine and Bombur's parents died when we were young and Bifur took care of us."

"Joey took care of us and Lisa took care of me," I smile at him. "They kind of balanced the financial things between the two of them. Lisa was the one who mothered me."

"Your grandmother has all of you now?" Bofur asks as the bell above the door chimes.

"Just me and Lisa," I shake my head and sigh. "Joey went off and did his own thing. He calls my grandma and sends money. But we've not seen him since he brought us to our grandma."

"B—B—Bofur," We start at the sound of the new voice, turning to see the salt and pepper haired man from yesterday. He holds up a Styrofoam drink holder, the strong scent of coffee hanging heavily in the air. "I—I got it." Bofur stands, his hand leaving mine as he gives him a smile.

"Thank you Bifur," He takes one of the coffees, offering me a hand to stand up. "And thank you for your help, Ms. Charlie." I accept his hand and offer Bifur a small smile. He returns it albeit a bit hesitantly.

"Just Charlie," I say. "There's no need for the miss part." Bofur nods, lifting his cup of coffee to me.

"Okay then, Charlie." Bofur's smile nearly splits his face apart as the bell above the door chimes once more and children and their parents pour into the store.


	9. About You

Thank you so much to Littlenori, The EarthSong, katanor, Kirdian05 and for the follows and favorites! They are greatly appreciated! Sorry for not updating anything yesterday. I was out of town working and continued into today. I just got home about two hours ago.

The EarthSong: Thank you so much, I hope you enjoy :3

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><p>"Thank you, come again." Bofur calls to the woman and little boy who exit the shop. He sighs and leans back on his stool, rubbing at his eyes. Beside his Bifur nudges his side, a smirk on his face.<p>

"You're s—s—staring again," Bifur teases, raising an eyebrow. Bofur feels like a child once more that's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "I see you." Bifur nudges his side and Bofur punches him halfheartedly in the arm. He was staring no matter how much he would try to deny it to his cousin. Charlie had been with them since opening and been helping. From stocking shelves, finding things for customers, she'd done whatever was asked of her without a question.

"I'm only staring because I feel bad for yesterday," Bofur mumbles. "Don't give me that look. I know it was wrong to stare." Bifur had taught them never to stare after a head injury left him with a stutter. They'd grown up with people always staring at them and Bifur had drilled it into his and Bombur's head that it was not okay to stare. This girl, Charlie seemed to have improved since last night. The swelling in her face had gone down though the bruises were still there. She's turning towards Bofur now, brushing off the knees of her pants as she smiles at them.

"What can I do next?" She asks, eyes bright and eager.

"How about you sit down and eat?" Bofur suggests as her stomach gives a rather loud rumble. "We have another worker come here about this time so we can spare you for a while—ah here he is." Ori steps through the door, smoothing down the front of his knitted cardigan and mumbling apologies.

"Sorry I'm late Mister Bofur, I had to walk here. And I, oh hi Charlie," He looks startled at the sight of the redhead. "We were wondering where you were today."

"She wandered in here and we enslaved her," Bofur says, not batting an eye as Ori stutters and glares at him. "I'm only kidding lad. She came into today and offered to help us."

"I had to deal with Kili moping all day and wondering where you could possibly be," Ori sighs. "He didn't even eat his lunch he was so upset."

"Would you mind helping me in the backroom lass?" Bofur offers her a grin. "I'll feed you in exchange for helping me." Charlie nods, offering Ori a smile as she passes by him. They work together in comfortable silence, Charlie handing down boxes to Bofur. After a few minutes of silent working, she looks at him as she hands over a box of dolls.

"So I've told you something about me," Charlie begins. "Tell me something about you." Bofur looks up as he takes the box and his throat constricts. Her eyes were a vibrant icy blue and seemed to pierce his soul. Bofur takes a somewhat shaky breath as he accepts the box, clearing his throat.

"Well my names Bofur Broadbeam," He takes off his hat, bowing low. "Run this toy store here with my cousin Bifur. Along with toy making I love music."

"And you're brother is Bombur." Charlie summarizes.

"Aye, he is. And your sister is that blonde haired woman who looked like she wanted to slit me brain to belly." This earns him a small smile from Charlie who leans around the box she holds to look at Bofur.

"That would be Lisa." Bofur takes the box and swallows hard, bracing himself as he looks up at her.

"I can't rightly blame her for being so angry with me," Bofur sighs. "I shouldn't have stared at you last night." Charlie stiffens, her grip on the box becoming knuckle white.

"I'm not supposed to visit my mom," She confesses and the grip lessens. "She lives in this abandoned building with a while bunch of other junkies. I snuck out a few nights ago and decided to go see her."

"And you received that from someone else I take it?" Charlie rests her chin on her arms, a faraway look clouding her eyes.

"I brought some food for mom and this other junkie tried taking it," She smiles, a sad slow one. "I can't be angry with them _now_—every one of them is desperate for survival. But at the time I was furious and told them to get away and kicked at them. Mom was so out of it all she did was lay there. I got punched and then they took the food for themselves." Charlie sighs and descends from the ladder, shrugging helplessly.

"Whenever I was five and Bombur was three we went to live with Bifur. Our parents had passed away in a house fire and we both suffered from nightmares for a long time."

"What did you dream of?"

"I dreamt of being trapped in the house and nobody being able to hear me. I dreamt that Bombur died. Sometimes I would wake up and go into his room to make sure that he was still alive."

"I always see my mom at the end of this tunnel," Charlie confesses. "But I can never quite reach her. And it doesn't matter how fast I'm running, I can't reach her and then there's creatures reaching for me. Other times it's my brother." Charlie pauses, her cheeks flushing as she looks up at Bofur. "I never talk this much," She confesses.

"Sometimes I talk too much," Bofur laughs. "Take it from me Charlie; you certainly aren't talking too much." Charlie doesn't anything but smiles at him, ducking her head as a blush colors her cheeks once more. Neither of them talks much more after that. The store is busy, allowing little conversation other than asking for more of this particular toy or change. As the afternoon progresses things begin to slow down and eventually a car pulls up to the curb. Charlie looks up from where she sits by Ori and sighs.

"Well that's Lisa," Charlie gives them all a grateful smile. "Thank you for letting me stay today."

"Not a problem," Bofur grins. "It was a pleasure to have you."

"I come here every Tuesday and Thursday," Ori pipes up as Charlie reaches the door. "If you're not busy then feel free to come with me."

"I'd love to," Charlie smiles at them one last time. "Well Lisa looks ready to slit us brain to belly so I'll see you on Thursday." They all call their goodbyes, watching as Lisa pulls away from the curb.

"Well I like her." Bofur nods, the flaps of his hat bobbing up and down.

"You like everyone." Ori objects though he too smiles.

"Well I'm a good judge of character," Bofur looks back towards the door. "And our Charlie is a very good character…." Bifur and Ori share a look, saying nothing about Bofur calling Charlie 'ours'.


	10. Bright Lights Make for Rough Nights

Thank you so much to Snowbirdrose; Watson'sGirl; Scarlett4ever and for the follows and favorites! They are greatly apprciated!

WARNING: Talks of cancer in this chapter. I didn't know if that could be a possible trigger for anyone.

The EarthSong: It's longer than it usually is! About two thousand words longer! And I get to be a lot like Veruca Salt when I read Fanfiction xD

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><p>It had been about three weeks since school had started and things had settled into a comfortable routine. I was still waking up from nightmares but I was able to calm myself quickly enough to eat breakfast and get dressed before getting onto the bus. My bruises had faded and so had the stares that came with them. At school I usually sat through classes quietly and pass notes with Kili or Ori depending on who I was in class with. During lunch Kili often dragged me to sit with him and made sure I ate. There'd been no more calls about my mother or had there been any more visits downtown to see her.<p>

I'd learned from Kili that his older brother had graduated from high school graduated a couple years ago. Fili's now going to school here in town and majoring in business. His mother runs her own craft store, all the things for sale her own creations and his uncle the manager of the business part.

Ori and I would walk together to the toy store on Tuesdays and Thursdays and he often spoke of his brothers on those days. His brother Dori owned the café that Lisa worked at and Ori complained Dori mothered him too much. He didn't say much about his brother Nori. Only that Nori had a rough past and seemed to be doing better now though he didn't come around as much as Ori wished he would.

Bofur was a jovial man who seemed to constantly be smiling and joking. I couldn't think of a time in the few weeks I'd known him that I'd seen him grim or down in the slightest. He always had some sort of joke or story about a child that had come in that day. His cousin Bifur was a bit quieter and didn't talk nearly as much as Bofur. But he was still a kind spirited man who would help me stock shelves, tell me about the new toys he's making or ask how my day is. On the days I was there we would all walk to Bombur's together and have dinner together. Once dinner was over Lisa would take me home. Overall things had settled into a perfectly relaxing routine that was easy to follow.

I sit at the lunch table now picking apart the food that Kili's picked out for me. Beside me he talks animatedly about something or another. Ori sits across from us nodding on occasion as he sketches. I don't pay much attention until Kili says my name.

"What about you Charlie?" Kili asks and I look up to realize both of them are staring at me expectantly.

"What about me?" I ask and squirm uncomfortably under their gazes.

"There's a new movie tonight that we're all going to," Kili says excitedly and grins. "It'll be me, Ori and probably a few others. Don't you want to come?"

"I'll probably go," I mutter and nibble on a pizza crust. "What time is it?"

"Six thirty," Kili stares at me pleadingly. "We can give you a ride if you need one."

"What's it even about?" I ask and Kili's face blanks before he offers me a sheepish smile as he shrugs.

"You already agreed," Kili reminds me as I sigh. "You can't back out now—come on Charlie."

"If it's bad then you owe me a week of rides to school?" I ask and hold out my hand. "And next time I babysit you come over and change one of Jace's diapers." Kili face becomes one of mock horror as he stares at me.

"You're not supposed to have boys over while you babysit!" Kili cries but shakes my hand.

* * *

><p>Grandma watches me doubtfully as I move about the trailer cleaning. Every few seconds I pause and reach up to rub my forehead. Each pause is accompanied by a wince and small sigh of discomfort.<p>

"Maybe you should stay home Charlie," She says carefully. "Have you taken any medicine for your headache?"

"I did take medicine but it's not helping." My headache had started shortly after lunch and had persisted throughout the day. My heads pounding and each little noise only increases the pain. Grandma stares at me worriedly and gnaws on her lower lip.

"Maybe you shouldn't go out tonight," Grandma worries. "Just because you're not feeling good and I don't want you to be sick."

"I'll be fine," I promise her though my heads throbbing. "And besides Kili's pulling up now." I lean up to kiss her cheek and head for the door; her worried gaze burning a hole into my back. Kili waits out front for me and I wince as I realize that he's blasting music loudly enough to make the car vibrate. Fili sits in the driver's seat, Kili in the passengers and Ori in the back. I slide into the backseat and lean my head against the cold glass window as Fili pulls away. Ori stares at me worriedly.

"Are you okay Charlie?" Ori asks and I nod, gritting my teeth in an effort to keep from screaming at Kili to turn down the music.

"I'm fine," I promise and smile weakly. "I've just got a little headache." And now it's accompanied by tingling running up and down my arms that I don't mention as I tuck my hands underneath my legs. Ori looks doubtful but he doesn't push it and keeps peering at me from the corner of his eye until we arrive at the movies. Bofur and Bifur stand outside the movie theater along with a man I haven't seen before. His hairs the same shade of gingery red that Ori's is though his is done into a complicated style and he stares at me with a hard gaze. Kili's mother is there as well along with Dori, all of them chatting animatedly. Ori takes my arm as I get out of the car and pulls me towards the man with the complicated hair.

"Charlie this is my brother Nori," Ori says proudly and looks back and forth between us. "Nori this is Charlie."

"Nice to meet you," I mutter and offer him my hand. Nori shakes my hand, barely nodding before he turns back to Bofur. I lean heavily against Ori and sigh. "What movie are we seeing? Did Kili ever say?"

"Blockhead didn't say?" Bofur asks good-naturedly. He pauses and gazes at me concerned. "Charlie you don't look like you feel too good."

"Migraine," I mutter and shrug weakly as Kili comes back to us waving tickets. "I may try and sleep it off in the movies." I whisper to him as I pluck my ticket from Kili's hand. I make it through the concessions where Kili forces me to pick out some candy and a drink. I don't even look as I point to something in the glass display case. My headache had greatly increased and the tingling was becoming unbearable. I felt uncomfortable and really want to go home. But Kili's so excited to see this movie as are the others. So I don't dare complain about my head or the tingling in my arms.

The dark theater is a welcome compared to the brightness of the rest of the building. I follow after the others and shuffle down the tiny aisle. I sit down in the seat with a small groan and rest my feet on the railing in front of me. Bofur takes the seat to my left and stares at me worriedly as I tilt my head back, breathing in and out slowly.

"Pretty bad migraine huh?" Bofur asks and I nod. "Well don't worry—ye can use my shoulder as a pillow if you want." He promises me as the previews come on. It might be a trick of the darkening theater but I swear his cheeks redden after his statement. As always the previews are much too loud and echo after they're over. My heads throbbing in time with the echoes and by the time the movie comes on I'm nearly ready to sob. I reach for Bofur's arm as flashing lights dance across the screen.

"I didn't know this movie was going to have lights," I mutter and reach blindly for his arm. "I need to get out…." My hand misses Bofur's arm and everything goes dark as I fall forward.

* * *

><p>Bofur's not sure what's happened at first. He faintly hears Charlie muttering over the sounds of the movie. And then she's on the floor convulsing and shaking violently in front of them. Ori's screaming and staring in horror as Charlie's body thrashes. It takes a moment for anyone to move and then Bofur's shouting for help.<p>

"She's having a seizure," Bofur shouts and everyone's on their feet. "Dís please an ambulance." He carefully rolls her onto her side and winces as she nearly comes in contact with the chairs and railing repeatedly. The seizure seems to last for hours until finally Charlie goes limp and they all watch helplessly until finally paramedics come into the darkened theater.

"Over here," Dís calls. "It's stopped now."

"How long did it last?" One of the paramedics asks and motions for everyone to step back.

"Not even a minute," Bofur says shakily. "Probably lasted about thirty second or so…" The paramedics begin to work over Charlie and move her onto the stretcher. Everyone looks helplessly at each other and Dís steps forward.

"Can someone ride with her?" She asks and the paramedics glance at each other. "She's eighteen."

"Yes, someone can ride with her." They nod and Bofur pushes his way to the front, following them out. He looks over his shoulder at them as he makes his way out of the theater.

"Call her grandma." He barks and they nod obediently, following after Bofur and towards their cars.

It's not the first time Bofur's ridden in an ambulance. He's been in them before as a child after the house fire that took his parents. But this time it's more real, more terrifying as the paramedic jams an IV into Charlie's hand and looks her over.

"She kept complaining of a headache," Bofur offers. "There were flashing lights in the movie and then she just collapsed."

"Does she have a history of seizures?" Bofur shrugs helplessly.

"I don't know," He shakes his head. "I didn't even know she had seizures." Bofur mumbles as they pull up to the hospital. He follows after the paramedics as far as he can but is stopped by a nurse who tells him that he can't go in. Bofur stands helpless as she's taken into a room and out of view. Behind him comes everyone else, all of them looking worried and concerned.

"Come on then," Dori says gently and gives him a gentle nudge towards the waiting room. "Let's go sit down." Bofur follows after them helplessly and sits down in a hard plastic chair with a sigh. Everyone looks a bit ashen as they avoid looking at each other; the mood a heavy one. Nobody talks until a panicked voice comes and a woman's flying past the waiting room. She looks faintly like Charlie and Bofur realizes with a sick feeling in his stomach this must be her grandma. She disappears back into Charlie's room just as a doctor steps out holding a clipboard.

"Ah, it's Óin," Bofur sighs and finally feels a bit of relief. "Now we can maybe get some answers." Óin looks a bit surprised to see them as he makes his way over but smiles nonetheless.

"How is she?" Ori asks and Óin sighs.

"She will be okay," Óin promises. "When she awoke she wasn't sure where she was. She remembered being at the movies but could not remember otherwise."

"Is that normal?" Ori frets and Óin nods.

"The nurse is talking with her grandma now. I have some other patients to see but it seems like she can go home tonight." Everyone sighs with relief and Óin waves goodbye as he turns and moves down the other end of the hallway. Nori rises and looks at his brothers as he shifts uncomfortably.

"I'm going home," He mumbles. "I'll see you later." He moves out of the waiting room with his shoulders hunched. Bofur stares after him for a couple moments until he becomes aware of how silent it's become in the waiting room. The relieved whispers have stopped and everyone's looking at him. He turns and swallows hard as he realizes the older woman from earlier is staring down at him.

She has long silver hair with little bits of red streaked through it, hanging over her shoulder in a braid. Her face is slightly wrinkled with laugh lines and the stress of a long life though the smile on her face is soft.

"Thank you for helping my granddaughter," She says quietly. "All of you thank you so much."

"Oh, it's not a problem," Bofur promises and smiles at her. "Is there anything we can do to help now?" She hesitates and looks back towards the room where a nurse is wheeling Charlie out. She looks exhausted and leans heavily against her hand.

"I could use some help getting her home please," The woman says hesitantly. "If it's not too much trouble that is."

"Of course it's not," Dís promises as she stands up and points towards Fili and Kili. "You two go home and tell your uncle I'll be home in a while." Dori turns towards Ori and Ori sighs.

"I'll go watch over the house and Nori." Ori promises and follows after the Durin boys who are making their way out of the waiting room. Bofur moves to take over the wheelchair for the nurse and smiles at Charlie.

"Are you ready to head home then Charlie?" He asks. Charlie barely lifts her head and merely makes a groaning noise as Bofur begins to wheel her towards the door. Her grandmother, Dís, Bifur and Dori follow after him. Her grandmother goes ahead of them and pulls the car around, opening up the door. Putting Charlie in the car is a slow, careful maneuver as they try to slowly lay her down.

"There we are then," Bofur sighs as they finally get her laid out. "Does she have a history of seizures then or…?" He trails off and clears his throat.

"I'm more than willing to explain whatever you'd like to know," Her grandma promises him. "Follow me home, help me get her inside and I'll tell you anything."

"We're following you." Dís decides for the four of them and herds the three men towards their own cars.

"Aren't we being rude?" Dori asks as Dís practically shoves them.

"Not when we're helping, not when she's invited us," Dís says. "And I for one would like to know more about my son's friend." Dori sighs and heads toward his car with a grumble, Bofur and Bifur following suit.

* * *

><p>The drive is a short one though getting Charlie out of the car is harder than putting her in. She groans and mumbles incoherently as they attempt to sit her and coax her out of the car. But eventually she gets out and is carried by Bifur. Lisa waits in the trailer doorway and takes Charlie in her own arms, barely nodding at them before she turns and disappears down the hall of the trailer.<p>

"There are things to make tea in the kitchen, coffee, milk—I'm pretty sure we have some soda if anyone wants some. Just make yourselves at home please. I'll be right back." Charlie's grandma promises as she follows after Lisa. Bofur takes the chance with the others to look around the trailer living room. It's small with a basket filled to the brim with toys resting in one corner. A laundry basket sits next to it with folded clothes. A small bookshelf rests against a wall filled with videos and DVD's. One plays on the TV right now which the little girl Fiona watches, clutching the toy dragon he gave her in her hand. The baby Jace is nowhere to be seen he notices. The air smells of chocolate chip cookies and fresh bread and Bofur feels extremely comfortable. The whole trailer feels like home and envelopes him like a warm blanket. The others have moved into the kitchen but Bofur's still standing there and looking around when her grandma returns, smoothing fly away hairs.

"I'm so sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Julie," She holds out her hand. "I think from what Charlie's told me—you're Bofur."

"Charlie's talked about me?" Bofur asks and his cheeks suddenly feel hot.

"Oh yes," Julie smiles. "She's told me all about the toy shop and so has Fiona." Fiona blushes and attempts in vain to hide behind her dragon as Bofur follows Julie into the kitchen. Dori, Dís and Bifur all sit around the table and Bofur joins them at Julie's insistence. She goes about making tea and coffee and asking what everyone would like. She doesn't sit until everyone has a drink. And then it's with a sigh as she smiles tiredly at them.

"Does she have a history of seizures then?" Dís asks as she takes a sip of her tea.

"Yes she does," Julie nods and takes a long drink of her own tea. "Charlie was diagnosed with PKU as a child. Both my son and Mary had the recessive gene for it and it was passed onto her. Her body can't break down this amino acid phenylalanine."

"When did the seizures start then?" Dori asks.

"When she was about three, the epilepsy stemmed from her PKU. But it could be controlled by watching her diet and what was eaten so we did that and Charlie was fine. As she got older she needed to go onto medication."

"She's okay then?" Bofur asks worriedly and Julie smiles sadly at all of them.

"I can't say that any one of my grandchildren is okay," Julie shakes her head. "They're very—angry at the world for their starts in life."

"Charlie told me a little about her mother and father." Bofur says carefully and Julie's face seems to darken more.

"My son Christian was diagnosed with prostate cancer and by the time they found it," Julie clears her throat once—twice and she looks up at the ceiling, pursing her lips. "I'm sorry," She whispers and pinches the bridge of her nose. "By the time they found it—it was too late. I remember calling Mary and telling her that Christian had terminal cancer. And all she could say was: 'oh, okay.' And then she hung up on me."

"Was she on drugs then?" Dori asks softly.

"I think she was starting," Julie admits. "I would help take care of things during the day and she would come home late. Reeking of perfume and alcohol and smoke. And after Christian passed she started this downward spiral. The kids believe she was sober and I think they'll all go to their graves believing that. But I saw track marks on her arms on the night Christian took his last breath."

"Where is their mother now?" Dís asks gently and reaches across the table to squeeze Julie's hand.

"Abandoned buildings downtown with other junkies the last I saw and heard," Julie sighs. "But the last call I got from my grandson he said she'd been picked up by police."

"Does Charlie know?" Bofur asks and Julie shakes her head.

"No, none of them but my grandson know," Julie sighs. "He keeps tabs but not as closely as Charlie. He works downtown and drives by those buildings daily. He said that last time he went by there police cars were out there and they were bringing out people in handcuffs."

"Sh—she needs help." Bifur says. Julie sighs and nods her agreement.

"I know she could be a good mom and there's a good mom somewhere in there," Julie smiles weakly. "But she doesn't want help—I told her when she's ready for help we can get it for her and she can see her kids and grandkids and we can all move forward together as a family. But Mary doesn't want that." Julie pauses as the pitter patter of little footsteps enter the kitchen. Fiona enters cautiously, eyeing the strangers warily as she comes to rest at her grandma's side.

"Can I have a snack nana?" She asks almost too quiet to be heard. Julie nods and smiles as she stands up, running a hand over the little girls light blonde hair.

"Of course," Julie promises. "What would you like?" Fiona clings to Julie's pant leg and eyes everyone as Julie digs through cabinets.

"Graham crackers," Fiona says and Dís raises an eyebrow at this. "Thank you,nana." She says as she hands over a plate with the desired snack and moves back into the living room.

"Does her mother like graham crackers?" Dís asks and stares after Fiona.

"Oh no, Lisa hates graham crackers," Julie says and Dís nods slowly.

"Does Fiona like apples?" Dís asks and the others share looks, wondering what on earth it is she's doing.

"Hates them," Julie shrugs. "But Lisa loves them—guess it's just one of those things." Dís' face looks absolutely murderous as she mutters an 'indeed' and looks now almost longingly towards Fiona.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Dori finally asks.

"Go on about your lives," Julie says calmly. "And understand this is something that may never fully heal. But do not tread around her like she's some little flower. Treat her like you have been please."

"We can do that." Bofur promises and Julie looks relieved.

"And don't speak a word of what was said about her mother to her."

* * *

><p>Well a lot is going on in this chapter and I will give a virtual internet cookie to whoever figures out something in this chapter. Specifically about Fiona and Jace.<p> 


	11. Durin Dinner

Thank you so much to ; Aeglos3; Jovie Black; waterballoons155; meanlilbean; KannaYasha and AmberKendsLacy for the follows and favorites! They are greatly appreciated! I just wanted to warn everyone that the way I update will be changing becasue of school. I'll probably start updating every two weeks instead of every week. I got all registered for my spring semester and I'll be taking fourteen hours instead of twelve. So that'll be a change.

The EarthSong: Chapters are usually about 1,000 to 1,500 words long. I try and make them longer but I have difficulty with it.

CrazyFanGirl18: It makes me happy to hear you say that I handled it well. I was quite worried about that scene as I haven't written anything like that before.

meanlilbean: I'm happy you're loving the story and I love Bofur. He doesn't get enough love in the Fanfiction community.

* * *

><p>Grandma makes me wait three days before she allows me to return to school. I'm practically tackled by Kili and Ori who cling to me and ask a slew of questions. I sigh and do my best to bat them off. Kili finally back away and looks sheepish as he stares at me.<p>

"We're so sorry Charlie," Kili says and Ori nods his agreement. "We didn't know or else we wouldn't have taken you—and we should have seen the signs."

"No need for you to worry," I promise them. "I haven't had a seizure in a while and it's not something I thought about bringing up. Besides it's not like we could have known that movie was going to have bright lights." Both of them look a little relived and smile. Kili slings an arm around my shoulder and drags me towards class, Ori trailing behind us.

"My mom wanted me to invite you to dinner on Saturday night—well all of you actually. You, Lisa, your grandma, Fiona and Jace are all invited. Everyone will be there."

"I'll ask my grandma," I promise. I don't mention that the problem won't be grandma but convincing Lisa to go.

The problem it turns out is not convincing her to go. She agrees to go with the promise that I'll change dirty diapers for a month. The problem is getting her not to look like she wants to commit murder as we drive to the Kili's. Grandma chuckles and reaches over, giving Lisa's arm a small pinch.

"I am smiling," Lisa grumbles and bats her hand away. "But I can't promise that I'll be one hundred percent nice."

"We're not asking for that," I promise as grandma slows to pull into a driveway. "We only ask that you act civil." Lisa's answer is lost as she gets out of the car. The Durin house is beige, two story house with several cars already occupying the driveway. Dís is standing in the front yard and smiles as she catches sight of me climbing out of the backseat.

"Hello Julie," She calls to my grandma. "I'm glad to see you made it here without any problems. Go on in." Grandma pauses to talk with her for a moment before walking in with Fiona's hand in hers. Lisa remains bent over in the backseat of the car, mumbling an occasional curse. Dís walks over to the car, peering over the top at Lisa's hunched back.

"Everything okay?" She asks and Lisa straightens up with a sigh.

"Jace's car seat won't unbuckle." She groans and Dís nods understandingly.

"Go on inside Lisa," Dís says. "Kili's car seat did that all the time, I can get it." Lisa gives it a final attempt and when it yields no result, sighs and motions for Dís to take over. I follow after her and watch as she easily unbuckles the car seat. Jace is awake and watches with curious, cautious eyes as this new woman lifts him from his car seat. Lisa's gone into the house and I'm left alone with Dís.

She stares at Jace with an odd facial expression. It's warm and gentle. She lifts a hand and carefully runs it over the top of his bald head.

"I can take him." I offer and she shakes her head.

"I don't mind it Charlie," She promises and smiles as he grabs hold of one of her dark pieces of hair. "I'm quite excited to hold my grandson." It takes a moment for her words to sink in. My head snaps up and I stare at her in shock. She doesn't notice, cooing and smiling at Jace who contently plays with a piece of her hair.

"Grandson," I choke out and clear my throat. "That would make Fili….Lisa never told me or anyone else who his father was."

"Fiona is your sister's carbon copy except for those eyes. Those are my sons and the similarities are to a tee: hatred of apples, love of graham crackers. And Jace is more a combo of the both of them," Dís says and smiles affectionately at Jace. "You're probably too young to remember but they dated in high school."

"What happened?" I ask and she sighs.

"Fili brought home this girl who was so rough around the edges and I loved her. Because she was the only other woman besides me who could put the fear of God into my son. I asked him about her home situation and he told me that her mother was an addict; brother was taking care of the family."

"Yeah, Joey kind of watched over us. But she never brought any guys home." Dís nods.

"Fili only brought her over to our house and Lisa refused to bring him to her house," She says. "I didn't push for answers only told her that I was here did she need anything. I suspected they were doing more than just kissing. Because normally when I walk into my sons room unannounced and he screams: 'mom get out' and throws a pillow at my head it's because there's a girl involved. They seemed like they were doing okay but Fili came home one day and told me they broke up. When I asked I got it: it's one of those high school things."

"I remember that," I sigh. "Lisa had a pregnancy scare but it was a false alarm. That was the day she punched Fili in the face."

"I eventually came to find out they'd discussed things and Fili agreed to get her money to buy a pregnancy test. But some friends of his didn't like her for whatever reason asked why he was giving her money. And someone made a comparison to her and your mother—to which I'm sad to say my son made his own. Lisa punched him the face, ran out of the school and Fili exchanged some words with your brother if I remember correctly."

"She didn't have Fiona and Jace until a couple years later," I mumble and sigh. "She went to some parties I guess he must have been at. You would have to ask her though I don't know how honest she'd be with you."

"Not tonight," Dís turns towards the house. "I liked Lisa then and I like her now. She can still put the fear of God into Fili and nothing makes a mother happier than that."

The inside of the house is warm and filled with laughter and talking. Kili sits on the floor of the living room, being instructed by Fiona how to play with some dolls. Ori sits on the couch reading while Dís carts Jace off towards the kitchen where the sound of laughter comes from.

"I didn't take you as the type to play with dolls Kili," I tease as I take a seat by Ori. "Be careful because she gets bossy."

"I'm learning how to play," Kili grumbles though there's a smile on his face as Fiona tugs on a strand of his dark hair. We sit quietly for a while. Ori reads while I watch Kili and Fiona playing together.

"Are they trying to keep you hidden from us Charlie?" Bofur asks as he steps into the room. I look away from Fiona and Kili with a smile at the hatted toymaker. "Somebody wants you." He's holding Jace in his arms who stretches eagerly towards me. There's a pause after I take him as I hold Jace where Bofur stands with his arms still outstretched. Finally he clears his throat and lowers them.

"I think all the sounds a bit overwhelming. Would ye like to take him on a walk with me in the backyard?"

"Sure," I adjust my hold on Jace who wriggles incessantly. "Lead the way." He walks me through the kitchen, past all the others who don't seem to notice our presence, too absorbed into their drinks or conversations. I recognize nearly everyone but a few faces. Like last time Nori's there and he stares at me with a bemused expression until I'm outside.

"We've missed you at the toy store," Bofur comments as we walk down the back porch. "How are you feeling since the movies?"

"Tired," I shrug. "More so than usual and grandma's altered my diet so I can't have coffee or any sort of caffeine. And she won't let me go to the toy store right now."

"No coffee?" Bofur shakes his head. "Now that's just not right."

"I don't really drink it except for when I'm in school. I miss the toy store but she told me that I have to wait a week before I can go back."

"She worries for you." It's not a question.

"Ori told me that his brother mother hens him a lot. And my grandma does that to me when I've had a seizure. I can't lift something because it could be too heavy, don't touch that. Don't eat this, don't drink that."

"A female Dori," Bofur manages through his laughs. "Now that would be a sight."

"Does his other brother not like me?" I ask and Bofur's laughs slow to a stop as he looks at me confused.

"I don't think he doesn't like you," Bofur shrugs. "He's a nice man once you get to know him—but he takes a while to warm up to people."

"Sorry to interrupt," Dís calls, sticking her head out the sliding glass door. "But dinners ready." Bofur stands with a stretch, offering his arm to me. I accept it and he leads me into the house. If I thought it was chaotic before it's nothing compared to now. Everyone crowds around the counter, piling food onto their plates. Fiona sits atop Kili's shoulder as he loads her plate up with whatever she points at. Lisa takes Jace from my arms and moves him to a high chair, leaving me alone with Bofur.

"Are they always like this?" I ask, feeling a bit overwhelmed as Fili walks by with his plate loaded up.

"Sometimes it's worse," Bofur says and winks at me. "Bombur eats cheese by the block. The best way to eat here is just to get in there and get your food." He grabs my arm and tugs me forward, handing me a plate and making his way into an empty space. Bofur's much like Kili, piling whatever I point at onto my plate for me.

"Looks like Kili has a new girlfriend," Bofur jokes as we sit down. Fiona sits next to him in her booster seat, chattering as she eats. "She's a little bit young for you I think." Kili glares at him halfheartedly as the others all laugh.

"I'm not the only one," Kili says and a slow grin spreads across his face as she looks back and forth between the two of us. I blush and choke on a bite of food as Bofur glares at him. Kili lets out a high pitched yelp and glares at Bofur. "That hurt."

"Pinch him for me Fiona." I say without looking up from my plate. The sound of Kili's pained yelp and grumbling followed by the laughter of the others is worth it.


	12. Some Help

So in this chapter we will be hearing from Charlie's brother Joey. It gives some insight into their past and into their brother's life. I hadn't intended on this but her brother demanded to be heard and then this happened.

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><p>There are fewer things in the world that Joey hates that Friday nights. The day itself is fine. He wakes up and readies himself for work, sometimes sends his grandma a text or calls her. Kisses Nori on the cheek and lets him know that he's going to work. He laughs at Nori's mumbled, incoherent response and does as he says: goes to work. He spends weeknights with Nori all except for Friday through the weekend. Those are reserved for his mom.<p>

He walks alongside her now and watches as she bounces up and down in a poor attempt to stay warm, babbling on and on. There's a flask in his pocket but he doesn't dare offer it to her because he sees in her eyes that she's determined to get high. He looks longingly towards restaurants and hopes in vain for a chance of food and to get warm.

"Do you want dinner mom?" It's a futile question. She doesn't want to eat whenever she wants to get drugs. But still Joey tries.

"Already ate honey," She mutters and lifts a hand to wave to someone. Joey sighs as she runs down the sidewalk, screaming a name. He sighs and buries his hands deeper in his pockets, following after his mother. He can remember the first time he discovered that his mother was using.

* * *

><p><em>"Can you get Charlie some cereal?" Lisa asked as she ran a brush through her hair. Their apartment was a mess Joey noted as he rooted around the kitchen drawers for a spoon. He lifted the only spoon in the drawer and took it to the sink. As he lifted it to be washed he noticed something unusual. <em>

_ The spoon had been burned. He stared at it with a sinking feeling in his stomach as behind him Lisa and Charlie continued to get ready for school. _

_ "Joey she needs her cereal," Lisa reminded him. Joey stuffed the spoon into his pocket and took a deep breath as he turned to face them. "Well?" Lisa stared at him expectantly. _

_ "All out of cereal," He shrugged. "Get breakfast at school Char-Char." Joey stood back and watched as they hurried out the door, a sinking feeling in his chest. Their mother was lying on the couch asleep as Lisa and Charlie hurried out the door, leaving him alone with her. He kneeled down in front of her and cleared his throat, his chest constricting as she opened her eyes. _

_ "What baby?" His mom muttered as she sat up. _

_ "What is this mom?" Joey asked as he pulled the spoon out of his pocket. She stared at it for a long time in her sleep induced haze until finally she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. _

_ "Oh that," She sighed. "The dishwasher must have gotten too hot."_

_ "We don't have a dishwasher mom." Joey reminded her._

_ "I'm tired Joey," She said and lay back down. "And you need to go to school." No, Joey thought to himself as he stood. I need a mom. He stuck the spoon back into his pocket and grabbed his things. The spoon remained in his pocket for the rest of the day. _

_ He had always been Lisa and Charlie's babysitter. But the day after he found the spoon he found that he was their protector as well. When they came home from school their mother would be gone. Joey made sure homework was done, dinner was made and that everyone had bathed. He made sure that they got into bed and were sleeping soundly. Before the spoon he used to go to bed too. _

_ But after the spoon he sat up outside their bedroom. Sometimes Joey would sit with a knife in hand. Other times it was a text book from school. And sometimes it was a wooden spoon. It was whatever he had access to that particular night. Because eventually his mother would come back and she always brought friends. _

_ Joey would sit outside his sisters' bedroom door and listen to the noise that floated down the hallway from the living room. There was his mom's voice. And a lot of times there were other women's and men's. None of them familiar. Some of them returned. Some only came once and then they were done. From where he sat he could see what they were doing and it made him cringe. _

_ Their brows were furrowed with concentration as they held the lighter beneath the spoon. Their faces contorted in pain as they injected themselves. And then there were the groans of frustration, the cursing as they failed to find a vein, as a vein collapsed or missed the vein. He would sit up and wait until finally they all nodded off or everyone wandered out. _

_ For a while things had worked out. But Joey's teachers started getting worried when he fell asleep in class. And their worry only rose when he began to miss school. Joey took on more responsibility as Lisa began to spend time with Fili Durin. He could handle it he told himself. He could handle this. _

_ Charlie was well behaved for which he was thankful. She did the chores Joey gave her, did her homework and accepted that their situation was different. When she asked for things like new toys and Joey told her that it wasn't possible she accepted it. Later he told her. Later. The money they had was split between bills and drugs. There was money set aside that his mother took from each week. And each week when Charlie asked why their mother was nodding off so much during conversations until finally she passed out, Joey told her it was because of work. Mom is really tired he told her. And again she accepted it. Joey had hoped that she could stay in the dark forever—that was a fool's hope though. _

_ He sat in the parking lot waiting for Lisa. Charlie sat in the backseat quietly, worrying her lower lip as they stared at the school. He could not shake the sense of dread in his stomach and hoped it was just him being paranoid. But as Lisa stormed out of the school with Fili Durin hot on her heels he realized it wasn't just him. _

_ "Lisa," Fili tried to lay his hand on Lisa's arm just to shaken off. "Please let me explain." _

_ "Let you explain why you said I'll end up just like my mother?" Lisa spat, her voice full of venom. "No Fili."_

_ "Get in the car," Joey ordered as he stepped out. He glared at Fili who seemed a bit cowed by Lisa's words and his gaze. "What did you do to her?" _

_ "I just," Fili mumbled and stared at his feet. "You just did what?" Joey hissed and Fili shut his mouth. _

_ "I said that she would end up just like your mother." Fili muttered and Charlie piped up from the backseat. _

_ "What's wrong with being like mama?" Charlie asked. "She sleeps a lot but she's nice." _

_ "Your mother's a drug addict," Fili snapped. Joey grabbed hold of his shirt, lifting him until they were eye to eye. "You know she's on heroin." _

_ "What do you know except for the glimpse that Lisa has given you?" Joey hissed and his grip tightened. "What you know is just scraping the surface of our lives. I apologize that your wonderful life has been disrupted by us." He let go and stepped back into the car. Joey's grip on the steering wheel was knuckle white as they drove away, his nostrils flared. _

_ "What is heroin?" Charlie asked in the backseat. Joey pulled over and leaned his head against the steering wheel, breathing heavily. Lisa leaned against the window, a glazed, distant look in her eyes as they sat on the curb. _

_ Joey and Lisa sat up talking late into the night. They had made very little progress as far as he was concerned. Lisa was firm in putting her foot down and saying she needed him. He couldn't leave. But Joey was firm too. _

_ "I can't do this anymore," He muttered and lifted his head to stare at Lisa. "You're not my children. You're my sisters. And I'm your brother." _

_ "We need a mother." Lisa said and put emphasis on the word 'mother'. _

_ "I know what we need," Joey snapped. "I've been trying to be that for months now if you haven't noticed." _

_ "Things aren't always what they seem Joey…" Lisa tried to smile at him. In that moment he loved his sister more than he ever for her words. _

_ "Things are exactly as they seem," He sighed and Lisa sighed as she nodded her agreement with a resigned look on her face. "And I can't do it anymore." _

_ "So you're leaving us?" Lisa asked and the fear in her voice nearly made him say no. _

_ "Yes," Joey sighed. "I—I have to do this. I love you but there comes a point when I have to be an adult and separate myself from this life." Lisa's lower lip quivered and Joey took a shaky breath as he hugged her. _

_ "I know." He whispered and that was all it took for the siblings to start crying._

* * *

><p><em> Joey left early the next morning with his things packed in some suitcases he'd found in the back of the closet. He left Lisa and Charlie some money and a promise that he would come back if they needed him. <em>

_ He found work in a nursing home: cleaning the residents' rooms and bringing them their meals. Nobody asked questions and he kept to himself. The one person he found that he could bond with was a ginger haired man named Nori. The two would sit together on their breaks and make small talk until finally Nori looked at him and said: 'I'm here because I just got out of prison and this is the only place that would take me.' _

_ So Joey told him all about his mother and everything else. Nori didn't bat an eye at the ugly or smile at the good. The bad seemed to roll off his shoulders as Joey told him all of it. Nori understood for which he was grateful. When the two eventually started dating a lot of the residents there it was about damn time. _

_ He didn't see or hear from his sisters for a long time. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. But he saw his mom. Wandering the streets, buying drugs and on one than more occasion a street corner. But his sisters remained a mystery. Until the night came he went to deliver his mother money. He didn't ask what it was for though he suspected it was drugs. _

_ They met in an isolated area. His mother had become worse. Her skin had sores from being picked at and she picked at it even as they talked to each other. It looked as if she hadn't bathed in days and she shook as she talked to him._

_ "Where are the girls?" Joey asked. _

_ "I brought Lisa with me," She nodded back towards where the car waited. "She drove me here." _

_ "What is this money for mom?" Joey asked and bristled. "You promised. You promised me that you would never take any of us on any sort of drug run."_

_ "I just need a small hit," His mother mumbled guiltily. _

_ "You promised," Joey shouted, not bothering to keep his voice down as he stalked towards the car. _

_ "Nobody else would give me a ride." His mother whined and reached for his arm in a vain attempt to slow him down. Lisa was sitting in the front seat, her head hung in shame as Joey looked at her. In the backseat sat Charlie who looked at him worried. Rage flooded Joey's body as he turned towards his mother. _

"_I am done," Joey snapped. "I am done with you. You agreed to keep them out of it and now you've brought them here. Come on. I'm taking you to grandma's house." He said to the two girls who stalked towards his car with hunched shoulders and twin looks of worry._

* * *

><p>Joey had said he was done and tried to be done. He wishes he could be done with his mother. But he knows somewhere deep down inside under all the depression, anxiety, rage and grief—whatever has driven his mother to use drugs, he knows the old her is there. And that she loves him. She was a good mom a long time ago. But she needs help. That's what he keeps telling himself.<p>

She sits in someone's car now talking animatedly to them as they count out the money she's just handed to them. He's got no idea where it came from or how she got it. He doesn't want to think about it. It's approaching midnight and his eyelids are growing heavy. The windows of the car are down and even though he knows that she won't hear it, he still speaks.

"I love you mom," Joey looks towards the car. "I'll see you after work." And with that he moves towards his own parked car, his hand fiddling with the burnt spoon in his pocket.

"You just need a little bit of help." He reminds himself with a sigh, glancing over his shoulder one last time.

* * *

><p>Just to clarify Joey is not an addict. He keeps the burnt spoon in his pocket as a reminder of what his mom is. And before people start hating on the mom, addiction is a very hard thing to deal with. It affects a family, not just the person suffering from it. And you have to realize they are good people but they've lost their ways and need a little bit of help. Anyways thank you so much to Chidori-No-Kyoku for the favorite! It is greatly appreciated!<p> 


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